Systems and methods for sorting recyclables at a material recovery facility

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing a quantity of cullet having at least two colors of glass from an input stream of recyclable material and non-recyclable material. In an embodiment, the system includes a sortation station, a screening apparatus, an air classifier, and a crushing apparatus to provide as output substantially pure cullet having at least two colors.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/520,310, filed Nov. 17, 2003, which isincorporated herein by reference. This application also claims thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/531,663, filed Dec. 23, 2003, which is incorporated herein byreference. This application also claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/587,031, filed Jul. 13,2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for sortingrecyclables at a material recovery facility (MRF).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cost-effective recycling of materials, such as glass, plastics, andmetals, has become an increasingly important issue to many businessesbecause of ever-increasing legislative mandates at the federal, state,and local levels and the associated cost of complying therewith. In arecycling process, an entity such as a material recovery facility (MRF)can face several significant challenges concerning increasing and/oroptimizing the amount of recyclable materials recovered duringprocessing, and decreasing operational costs such as labor costs.

A MRF generally serves as a drop-off and gross-sorting (and limitedprocessing) point for recycled materials, so that sorted recycledmaterials can be transported, for example, to a customer of the recycledmaterial for subsequent processing. Recyclable materials generally entera MRF either in a single stream or dual stream. A single stream consistsof a mixture of glass, plastics, and/or metals (collectively referred toherein as “commingled containers”), old news print (ONP) (e.g.,newspaper and newspaper inserts), old corrugated paper (OCC), oldtelephone directories (OTD), old magazines (OMG), junk mail and/oroffice paper (collectively referred to herein as “fiber material”). Adual stream MRF consists of a commingled container stream and a fibermaterial stream. While traditional MRFs typically utilize a dual streamconfiguration, the desire to reduce labor and other operational costshas been an impetus behind the trend toward single stream MRFs.

A gross sort involves separating material by type. For example, glass,plastic, aluminum, fiber, etc. can each be physically separated fromeach other. In the case of glass, a conventional MRF typically sortsglass by size and color, each of which incurs a labor cost, can causesubstantial wear and tear on machinery and equipment, and generallyresults in higher maintenance costs and lower profit margins.

Regarding size, much of the glass that enters a MRF is not in the formof whole containers. Instead, containers are typically broken, ofteninto numerous pieces of widely varying sizes, which can complicate andincrease the cost associated with sorting glass at a conventional MRF.Pieces of mixed color (e.g., flint, amber, green) glass smaller thanapproximately 2.5 inches are referred to as mixed cullet or residue(hereinafter mixed cullet). Currently, the economics of glass recyclingis such that it is profitable (or more profitable) for pieces of glassapproximately 2.5 inches or larger to be cleaned and processed forrecycling, as it is generally too difficult and expensive to sort, cleanand otherwise process mixed cullet.

Mixed cullet is thus typically either used in aggregate form as alandfill cover material, or is further processed, at an additional cost,so that it can be used, for example, as a paving material such asglasphalt (a highway paving material in which recovered ground glassreplaces some of the gravel in asphalt) and/or aggregate (material suchas glass, sand or small stones mixed with a binder such as cement toproduce mortars and concrete).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,598, entitled “Commingled Recyclables Recovery andRecycling Process and Related Apparatuses,” which is incorporated hereinby reference, describes how glass unsuitable for recovery is introducedinto a trommel processing loop which substantially removes contaminants,and reduces the glass to a particulate. However, processing the mixedcullet as landfill or as a paving material is generally less profitablethan processing a same volume of glass that does not include mixedcullet for subsequent sale to a beneficiator and/or a glass plant.

In addition, sorting glass by color (e.g., into flint, amber, and greencomponents) also poses challenges to a MRF. Color sorting for both mixedcullet and pieces of glass greater than approximately 2.5 inches in sizeis desirable for use in conventional glassmaking techniques. U.S. Pat.No. 5,485,925, entitled “System and Method for Separating RecycledDebris,” which is incorporated herein by reference, discusses severalinitial screening methods, including manual sorting. European patentEP0439674, entitled, “Device for Sorting Waste,” which is incorporatedherein by reference, describes the use of robotic sorters. However, U.S.Pat. No. 5,485,925 and European Patent No. EP0439674 do not address theissue of recovering mixed cullet.

Further, because there are inherent limitations associated withconventional MRF processing techniques, such as manual sorting, that areused to sort glass by color, contaminants will not be completely removedfrom the glass stream. Contaminants that remain in the glass stream maycause quality and safety issues in finished glass products. For example,ceramic impurities remaining in the glass stream may adversely affectthe glass recycling and manufacturing process, as well as the structuralintegrity of the finished glass product. Thus, there is a need toimprove the cleanliness of glass recovered from the recycling process.

Finally, due to the implementation of single stream collection methods,glass is being broken at a substantially higher rate throughout thecollection process. As a result, a much higher percentage of mixedcullet is being produced, with much of the increased production notbeing able to be recycled using conventional MRF processing techniques.

We have thus determined that it would be generally beneficial toincrease and/or improve the profitability associated with recyclingglass. In particular, we have determined that it would be beneficial tobe able to improve the profitability associated with recycling mixedcullet. We have determined that it would be beneficial to increase theyield of glass recovered from the recycling process. We have furtherdetermined that it would be beneficial to be able recycle glass withouthaving to sort the glass by size and/or color. In addition, we havedetermined that eliminating the need to sort glass by size and coloradvantageously decreases the labor, equipment, and equipment maintenancecosts associated with recycling glass. In addition, we have determinedthat it would be generally be beneficial to be able to increase thecleanliness of the mixed cullet recovered from the recycling process,such as by removing ceramics prior to transporting the mixed cullet to abeneficiator or glass plant.

We have discovered new and useful ways of utilizing, for example, one ormore optical sorters in connection with a single stream MRF. Inparticular, we have discovered that the use of optical sorters can, forexample, reduce labor costs, provide for increased automation andthereby improve efficiency of sorting, increase the quality of sortedmaterial, and generally increase profitability by increasing recoveryrates. We have also discovered that there is a need to utilize one ormore optical sorters to collect, track, and process constituent data ofat least some recyclable material in a manner that, for example, enablesMRF operations to be modified in a manner that facilitates improvedprocessing efficacy and profitability.

LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a single-streamglass recycling system that can process glass of mixed color and size.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of asingle-stream glass recycling system that can process glass of mixedcolor and size.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of FIG. 1A, without a glass crusher.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram of FIG. 1B, without a glass crusher.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of processing mixedcolor glass for recycling in a single-stream system.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of separating andprocessing commingled containers in a single-stream system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary dual-commingled stream glassrecycling system that can process glass of mixed color and size.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of processing mixedcolor glass for recycling in a dual-commingled stream system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary total glass reduction system.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram, also indicating methods of operation, of anexemplary automated single stream glass recycling system utilizingoptical sorting techniques.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide recycling systems andmethods that can recover and process all (or substantially all) of theglass portion of an incoming stream of commingled recyclables foreventual use as material for, e.g., bottle manufacturing, without havingto sort the glass by size and/or color. The resulting glass can be used,for example, in connection with de-coloring/coloring technology, such asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,737, entitled, “Method of RecyclingMixed Colored Cullet into Amber, Green, or Flint Glass,” U.S. Pat. No.6,230,521, entitled, “Method of Recycling Batches of Mixed Color Culletinto Amber, Green, or Flint Glass with Selected Properties,” and/or U.S.Pat. No. 6,763,280, entitled, “Automated Process for Recycling Batchesof Mixed Color Cullet into Amber, Green, or Flint Glass with SelectedProperties,” each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide an automated orsubstantially automated single stream material recovery facility (MRF)recycling systems and associated methods that recover and processes, forexample, all (or substantially all) of the paper, glass, plastics,ferrous, and/or non-ferrous content of an incoming single stream ofrecyclable material for eventual use as manufacturing material by MRFcustomers. Embodiments of the present invention reduce labor costs,provide for increased automation and thereby improve efficiency ofsorting, increase the quality of sorted material, and generally increaseprofitability by increasing recovery rates.

In addition, embodiments of the invention also enable MRFs to collectdata, such as the rate at which, for example, fiber and/or glassmaterial is being processed. The data can enable or facilitate, forexample, MRFs to better track and/or improve the efficiency of internalprocesses, as well as realize improved prices and/or profit margins forrecycled products. For example, data such as glass composition data canbe collected to facilitate glass plant operation. In addition, datapertaining, for example, to the color composition of plastic bottleswithin a processed resin bale (e.g., the volume of green polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) bottles and/or higher-value clear PET bottles forthe day, week or month) can be determined. This data can be used toenable a mill to better manage its blending process.

FIG. 1A, generally at 100, illustrates a block diagram of an exemplarysingle-stream glass recycling system in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The system 100 includes an input 110, andstandard techniques and equipment such as one or more manual sorters129, an Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) disc screen 130, an OldNewsprint (ONP) screen 132, an air classifier 134, a crusher 136, afinal screen 138, a ceramic detector and remover 139, and/or a storagebunker 140. System 100 can also include a polishing screen 144, a manualsorter 146, and/or a ferrous separator 148. Numerous arrangements of thevarious techniques and equipment can be utilized. In addition, not alltechniques and equipment described above need be utilized in allembodiments.

Input 110 is a supply stream to system 100 that can include, forexample, mixed colored (e.g., flint, amber and/or green) glass that iscommingled with plastics, metals and/or fibers such as newsprint,corrugated paper, office paper, junk mail material, and the like. Ingeneral, input 110 will generally have three types of recyclable andnon-recyclable material, in addition to glass: organic material, ceramicmaterial, and metals.

First, organic material may include items such as, for example,cardboard boxes, paper bags, newspaper, paper and plastic labels,plastic containers and caps, cork, wood debris, plants and/or foodresidue. Second, ceramic material may include items such as dishware,porcelain caps, pottery, heat resistant cookware (e.g., Pyrex®), mirrorglass, laboratory glass, light bulbs, crystal, window glass, bricks,concrete, as well as stones and dirt.

Third, metals are either ferrous or non-ferrous, and typically appearwithin input 110 in the form of container lids or seals. Typical ferrousmetals include iron and steel. Typical non-ferrous metal contaminationincludes brass, aluminum, lead, and stainless steel items.

Manual sorter 129 can be one or more human workers who sort input 110 byhand, picking out large and/or obvious contaminants such as milkcartons, take-out cups, broken or worn out devices, light bulbs, and/orstyrofoam. In operation, one or more transport mechanisms such as aconveyor can be used to provide input 110 to manual sorter 129 and tothe remainder of system 100. As the input 110 is fed onto the transportmechanism (e.g., a conveyor belt), vibratory motion typically is used tospread the waste out onto the belt for ease of observation. One or moremanual sorters 129 can be utilized on one or both sides of the movingconveyor belt to hand sort through input 110, and remove thecontaminants from input 110.

OCC disc screen 130, ONP screen 132, final screen 138, and polishingscreen 144 are standard automated screening mechanisms that areconfigured to mechanically separate recyclables into separatecategories, such as OCC, ONP, ferrous material and non-ferrous material.Screening is employed to separate materials of different sizes into twoor more size distributions. Screens will function to separate oversizedand undersized materials as a pre-processing technique for other unitoperations within system 100. The types of screens that can be used insystem 100 are, for example, disc screens and trommels.

Input 110 proceeds to OCC disc screen 130, which screens out, forexample, paper, bags, and corrugated fiber 153 from input 110. OCC discscreen 130 can include a plurality of discs that rotate and impart, forexample, a wavelike motion that causes larger object such as OCC to moveupwards, away from the remainder of input 110. An OCC disk screen suchas manufactured by CP Manufacturing Inc., National City, Calif., may beused. Preferably, an OCC disk screen will be utilized that removes mixedand office paper from OCC. The OCC disk screen can utilize, for example,serrated elliptical disks made out of ½-inch thick steel plate.Preferably, the size of the disks can be changed, and the space betweendisks or rows of disks can be varied to adapt to the stream of material.

The main design concept and operating principle of a screener is toremove valuable recyclables such as paper, bags and corrugated fiber 153negatively off the end of the conveyor system. This reduces the need forlabor-intensive removal by positively picking the material from input110, though one or more manual sorters 129 may be utilized to inspectthe material and remove miscellaneous contaminants.

Baler 155 compacts the paper, bags and corrugated fiber 153 receivedfrom OCC disk screen 130, and wraps the paper, bags and corrugated fiber153 into volumes (e.g., cubes) called bales. A wire or strap istypically used to secure the baled material. The bales can be sent, forexample, to local, national, and global reprocessors in order to be madeinto new recycled products. A baler such as the Apollo TR-7/30 model,manufactured by Marathon Equipment Company, Vernon, Ala., can be used.

The remainder of input 110 proceeds from OCC disk screen 130 to ONPscreen 132. In an embodiment, ONP screen 132 can be a standard dualscreen separator, which pulls newspapers and standard newspaper inserts159 from input 110 through its upper deck, and separates out the bulk ofglass and cullet from the rest of input 110 through, for example, one ormore decks. The plastics, metals, small paper products and/or remainingglass 179 are directed to polishing screen 144, whereas thesubstantially pure glass stream 161 proceeds to air classifier 134.

In addition, baler 157 compacts the newspaper 159 received from ONPscreen 132, and bales the newspaper 159. A baler such as the ApolloTR-7/30 model, manufactured by Marathon Equipment Company, Vernon, Ala.,can be used. As an alternative, baler 155 can be used in sequence torespectively to bale both the paper, bags and corrugated fiber 153received from OCC disk screen 130 and the newspaper 159 received fromONP screen 132.

In general, a disc screen utilizes a plurality of flat screens thatconsist of an array of disks that spin on shafts. The spinning moves thematerials across the screen by means of the disc rotation, which allowsmaterials to be fed directly onto the screen. This featureadvantageously makes the disc screen less likely to cause glass breakagecompared to other screens. The disc screen can also provideadjustability in opening size, and be self-cleaning. Disc screens aremost effective when the fine material to be removed is denser than thelarger materials, when the larger materials are relatively rounded andwill not prevent passage of the fines to the screen, and when breakagecould be a problem.

An ONP screen 132 such as NEWScreen™, manufactured by CP ManufacturingInc., National City, Calif., may be used. Preferably, an ONP screen willbe utilized that removes newspaper 159 from mixed paper, co-mingledcontainers, dirt and debris.

Air classifier 134 can be a standard air classifier that separatesmaterials, such as small pieces of plastic, aluminum, and paper from theglass stream. Air classifier 134 removes at least a substantial portionof any remaining impurities, such as small pieces of paper, fromsubstantially pure glass 161. An air classifier, such as model AC 10 orAC 78, manufactured by CP Manufacturing, National City, Calif., may beused.

In an embodiment, air classifier 134 uses low-velocity airflows toclarify substantially pure glass 161 and augment standard high-velocityair-knife procedures. Relatively high-velocity air generated by aprimary suction fan with sufficient air volume can be used for generalconveying purposes of the initial mixed fraction taken off substantiallypure glass 161. A light mixed faction can be first lifted offsubstantially pure glass 161 by an air pickup unit. Air velocitieswithin air classifier 134 are controlled at a lower velocity to allowselective pickup. Materials not selected for pickup remain on theconveyor belt. Once in the separation chamber of air classifier 134, thematerial is subject to, for example, two separate pressure drops. Itemsheavier or denser than, for example, remaining glass 165, and loosepaper or plastic film drop out, allowing for recovery of plastic andlight metallic items, which can be transported to polishing screen 144.

The glass and by-products that leave air classifier 134 can proceed tocrusher 136, which is a standard glass crusher that crushes receivedglass into approximately 0.5-2.5 inch size pieces. If crusher 136 is notutilized, the glass and by-products 163 can proceed from air classifier134 to final screen 138. A crusher such as model HMG-40, manufactured byC.S. Bell Co., Tiffin Ohio, may be utilized.

Final screen 138 removes all, or substantially all, of any remainingnon-glass contaminants from crushed glass 167 (e.g., cullet) that leavescrusher 136. Final screen 138 removes non-glass contaminants 186 such assmall plastic and/or metal cans and/or lids that are too dense to beremoved by air classifier 134, and/or too malleable to be size reducedby crusher 136. For example, equipment such as a V-Screen™ Separator,from CP Manufacturing, Inc., National City, Calif., can be used toperform the final screening.

Ceramic detector and remover 139 can be a standard ceramic remover thatremoves ceramic 188 pieces that are approximately 0.5-2.5 inches in sizefrom cullet and ceramic 185. In one embodiment, as glass enters ceramicdetector/remover 139, the glass passes over a plate that is embeddedwith fiber optic cables. A pulsing light (usually visible light) isprojected through the glass to the fiber optic cables, which detect theposition of any opaque material. Ceramic detector/remover 139 thenutilizes “air knives” to remove ceramic material from glass processingmodule 132 with a burst of air. It is preferred that crusher 136 beutilized in conjunction with ceramic detector/remover 139, as ceramicdetector/remover 139 is more efficient when smaller pieces of glass arebeing processed. A ceramic detector/remover such as a type 6000 KSPSeparator, manufactured by Binder & Co. AG, Gleisdorf, Austria, may beused.

The cullet and ceramic 185 is fed into ceramic detector and remover 139by, for example, a vibrating conveyer belt, which keeps the cullet andceramic 185 in a thin layer. In one embodiment, as the cullet andceramic 185 enters ceramic detector and remover 139, the glass andceramic 185 passes over a plate embedded with fiber optic cables. Apulsing light (usually visible light) is projected through the glass andceramic 185 to the fiber optic cables, which detect the position of anyopaque material. Ceramic detector and remover 139 then directs one of aseries of “air knives” to remove the ceramic material with a burst ofair. It is preferred that crusher 136 be utilized in conjunction withceramic detector and remover 139 since ceramic detector and remover 139is more efficient when processing smaller pieces of mixed cullet.

If ceramic detector and remover 139 is not utilized, the remains ofcullet and ceramic 185 can proceed from final screen 138 to storagebunker 140, which is a standard industrial storage bin used to store thecullet and ceramic 185 that is sufficiently clean to be shipped to abeneficiator and/or glass plant for further processing. However, it ispreferred that ceramic detector and remover 139 be utilized, as ceramiccontaminants larger than No. 12 mesh typically do not melt in a furnacethat would be utilized by a glass plant, which can result in ceramicinclusions in finished glass containers, and damage to equipment used ata glass plant.

Returning now to ONP screen 132, output 179 from ONP screen 132 thatproceeds to polishing screen 144 does not generally containmixed-cullet, paper, bags, corrugated fiber 153, or newspaper 159.Polishing screen 144 is a standard screening mechanism that screens outall, or substantially all, of any remaining pieces of paper such aslabels, and sheets of paper that were not removed by OCC disc screen 130and ONP screen 132.

Polishing screen 144 carries or lifts output 179 (e.g., a mix of paperand other miscellaneous material) over discs similar to the ONP screen132 and OCC disc screen 130 removal discs. The discs associated withpolishing screen 144, however, are generally smaller in size and moreclosely spaced together that the discs of ONP screen 132 and OCC discscreen 130. The non-paper items 181 that are carried by polishing screen144 discs are transported to a conveyor from which manual sorters 146can remove any remaining non-paper material, such as plastic bags, filmand residue items 173. The non-paper items 181 material that are notlifted or carried up by the discs are primarily plastics, metals andwhole glass containers that roll off or pass through the discs anddischarge onto a transfer conveyor that discharges onto the sortingconveyor. A polishing screen such as the Mach 1 Fiber Sorter, fromMachinex Technologies, Inc., Chicago, Ill. can be used. The resultinglabels and paper material 171 may be discharged into a storage bunker,and subsequently baled in a conventional manner.

Manual sorter 146 manually sorts out plastics and aluminum (lightfraction) 173, which can be subsequently baled or otherwise disposed of.Manual sorter 146 can also sort out glass 154, and provide glass 154 tocrusher 136.

Ferrous separator 148 is a standard industrial magnetic orelectromagnetic separator that separates ferrous and non-ferrousmaterial 183 from manual sorter 146. The magnetic belt separator canmove like a conveyor belt, carrying the materials to a stripper magnetfor controlled discharge of ferrous material 175. It is preferred that astainless steel section be utilized on conveyor installations tofacilitate maximum magnet effectiveness. A magnetic drum ferrousseparator, such as manufactured by Eriez Magnetics, Erie, Pa., may beused. Glass 180 output from ferrous separator 148 can be provided tocrusher 136.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the light fraction material such asplastic and aluminum containers can optionally be sorted out by using astandard optical sorter 189 to sort plastics, and standard industrial“eddy-current” magnets for aluminum containers 150. An optical sortersuch as manufactured by Bender & Co. (Austria), represented in the U.S.by Tomen America (Charlotte, N.C.), may be used.

In FIG. 1B, non-ferrous separator 150 is a standard industrialnon-ferrous separator, such as an eddy-current separator, whichseparates non-ferrous metal, such as aluminum cans and rings, and/orbrass, copper, magnesium, and zinc items from the remainder of input 110(e.g., remaining plastics). Any glass 180 remaining after passingthrough non-ferrous separator 150 can be provided to crusher 136 forprocessing, or to a storage bunker.

An eddy-current separator works through the principle of high-frequencyoscillatory magnetic fields, which induce an electric current in aconductive object such as an aluminum can. The oscillating fields can beadjusted to optimize separation. This electric current generates amagnetic field, which causes the object to be repelled away from theprimary magnetic field. Conductive particles can be fed either directlyinto the non-ferrous separator's 150 rotating drum or onto a beltenveloping the drum. A non-ferrous separator such as the Type “M” eddycurrent separator manufactured by Eriez Magnetics, Erie, Pa., may beused.

Plastics sorter 189 receives the ferrous and non-ferrous material 183,and separates out the plastic material 171. It is preferred that plasticsorter 189 have a sensor for each type of plastic that may be sorted.

The MultiSort® infra red plastic bottle sorting system, from NationalRecovery Technologies, Inc., Nashville, Tenn., may be used. TheMultiSort® sorter can separate high density polyethylene (HDPE),polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), polystyrene (PS),polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bottles, removecontaminant polymers such as PVC and PS from PET bottles, and recoverPET bottles from a PVC eject stream produced by x-ray based sorters suchas the VinylCycle® system (also manufactured by National RecoveryTechnologies, Inc., Nashville, Tenn.) during removal of PVC from PET.Numerous variations of FIGS. 1A and 1B will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art. For example, FIGS. 1A and 1B can also be utilizedwithout glass crusher 136. In this case, glass 154 is fed to finalscreen 138.

Accordingly, embodiments of system 100, shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, can beused to recover mixed cullet in a manner that reduces processing costsbecause system 100 does not have to sort glass by color, as is done inconventional MRF processing techniques. Further, mixed cullet that waspreviously considered undesirable due to the difficulty of color-sortingsmaller glass pieces, does not need to be discarded as landfill materialand/or processed for other less profitable uses. FIG. 1C is anembodiment of FIG. 1A, without glass crusher 136. FIG 1D is anembodiment of FIG. 1B, without glass crusher 136.

FIG. 2, generally at 200, illustrates an exemplary method that mayinclude the following sequential, non-sequential, or sequenceindependent steps for processing mixed colored glass using, for example,the system shown in FIGS. 1A-D. Note that the method described in FIG. 2is exemplary, and may performed in different orders and/or sequences asdictated or permitted by system 100, and any alternative embodimentsthereof. In addition, the method described herein is not limited to thespecific use of system 100, but may be performed using any system thatis capable of obtaining the material(s) as described in connection withsystem 100.

At step 210, a single stream of recyclable material, such as glasscommingled with plastics, metals, and paper enters system 100. Input 110can be transported on a conveyor belt, from which manual sorter 129 canremove contaminants, such as plastic bags, flower pots, etc., from input110.

At step 220, paper, bags and corrugated fiber 153 is removed from theremainder of input 110 by OCC disc screen 130. The glass in theremainder of input 110 falls between the discs, typically back onto aconveyor belt.

At step 223, newspaper 159 is removed from input 110 as it passesthrough ONP screen 132. At step 225, substantially pure glass 161 isseparated from the remainder of input 110. Container items such ascommingled plastic and metal containers, and glass greater thanapproximately 2.5 inches 179, are transported to polishing screen 144.

At step 226, air classifier 134 removes small pieces of paper from thesubstantially pure glass 161. At decision step 227, an operator candecide whether to crush the mixed cullet into a smaller and/or moreuniform size. If the glass and by-products 163 is not crushed, itproceeds, as is shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D, to final screen 138 at step230, which removes all or substantially all remaining non-glasscontaminants 186. If the glass and by-products (FIGS. 1A and 1B) arecrushed, at step 228 crusher 136 crushes the glass and by-products intocrushed glass 167, after which the crushed glass 167 is transported tofinal screen 138.

If at decision step 235 a ceramic detector 139 is utilized, the culletand ceramic 185 (FIGS. 1A-1D) proceeds to the ceramic detector 139 atstep 237, storage at step 240, and transfer to a customer at step 250.If at decision step 235 a ceramic detector is not utilized, the culletand ceramic 185 proceeds is stored at step 240. At step 250, the mixedcullet is transferred to a customer, such as a beneficiator.

FIG. 3, generally at 300, illustrates a method 300 that may include thefollowing, sequential, non-sequential, or sequence independent steps forseparating and processing plastic and/or metal items under asingle-stream MRF glass recycling system 100. Note that the methoddescribed in FIG. 3 is exemplary, and may performed in different ordersand/or sequences as dictated or permitted by system 100, and anyalternative embodiments thereof. In addition, the method describedherein is not limited to the specific use of system 100, but may beperformed using any system that is capable of obtaining the material(s)as described in connection with system 100.

In operation, a single stream of recyclable material that includescontainer material and fiber material enters system 100. At step 310,manual sorter 129 separates out contaminants 151, such as plastic bags,flower pots, etc., from input 110.

At step 320, paper, bags, and corrugated fiber 153 is removed from input110 by OCC disc screen 130. At step 330, newspaper 159 is removed fromthe remainder of input 110 as it passes through ONP screen 132. At step340, substantially pure glass 161 to air classifier 134. The plastic,metal and small paper items 179 are directed to polishing screen 144.

At step 350, polishing screen 144 removes contaminants such as labelsand paper 171 that did not get removed by OCC disc screen 130 and ONPscreen 132. At step 360, manual sorter 146 performs a manual sort of thenon-paper items 181. In another embodiment, such as shown in FIG. 1B,optical sorting equipment 189 can be used to remove plastics fromferrous and non-ferrous materials 183.

At step 370, ferrous separator 148 removes or substantially removesferrous material from the ferrous and non-ferrous material 183. At step380, as shown in FIG. 1B, non-ferrous separator 150 extracts anyremaining non-ferrous materials, such as aluminum and/or plastic.Non-ferrous separator 150 can be an eddy current separator and/or anoptical sorter that can sort plastic. Any glass remaining within theremainder of input 110 after passing through non-ferrous separator 150can be removed and placed in storage bunker 140. The glass 150 can alsooptionally be fed to and processed by either or both of crusher 136and/or ceramic detector and remover 139, as described above.

Dual Commingled-Stream MRF Glass Recycling System

FIG. 4, generally at 400, illustrates a block diagram of an exemplarydual-commingled-stream MRF glass recycling system. System 400 differsfrom single-stream glass recycling system 100 in that system 100 sortsthrough an input stream that includes fiber material and containermaterial, whereas input 410 does not contain fiber material. Input 410thus generally includes glass commingled with plastics and metals, andvarious non-recyclable items.

System 400 can use standard equipment such as a mechanical sorter 420, aferrous separator 148, a non-ferrous separator 150, an air classifier134, a crusher 136, a final screen 138, and/or a storage bunker 140.Numerous arrangements of the various equipment can be utilized. Inaddition, not all equipment described above need be utilized in allembodiments.

A conveyor belt can be used to transport input 410 to manual sorter 129.Manual sorter 129 can remove contaminants, such as plastic bags, flowerpots, etc., from input 110. The remains of input, which may include, forexample, plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, mixed cullet, andglass greater than approximately 2.5 inches in size, proceeds tomechanical sorter 420, which separates out the mixed cullet. Mechanicalsorter 420 can be a standard trommel or disc screen. A trommel is arotating cylindrical screen that is inclined at a downward angle withthe respect to the horizontal. Material is fed into the trommel at theelevated end, and the separation occurs while the material moves downthe drum. The tumbling action of the trommel effectively separatesmaterials that may be attached to each other. Sorter 420 can also beused to crush glass material to provide additional mixed cullet.

Transport 440 (e.g., a conveyor) can transport the mixed cullet tostorage bunker 140. The remaining material of input 410, includingpieces of glass larger than approximately 2.5 inches, then passesthrough ferrous separator 148, which removes all or substantially all ofthe ferrous material from the remainder of input 410. After the ferrousmaterial is removed, the remainder of input 410 proceeds to airclassifier 134, which can use air jets to “blow off” plastic andaluminum materials (light fraction) from the glass. The light fractionproceeds to manual sorter 129, whereas glass greater than approximately2.5 inches proceeds for crusher 136, if used, or final screen 138 ifcrusher 136 is not used.

Crusher 136 can be used to break the remaining glass down to asubstantially uniform size (e.g., approximately 2.5 inches). The crushedglass is then screened by final screen 138 for remaining contaminants.Ceramic detector and remover 139 can also be used to detect and removeceramic in the crushed glass. The crushed glass can be stored in astorage bunker 140, along with the glass that was transported frommechanical sorter 420 by transport 440.

The plastic and aluminum items, and associated contaminants diverted byair classifier 134, can proceed to one or more manual sorters 129 thatseparate the plastic and aluminum items. A plastic sorter 430, such asan optical sorter, can also be used to separate out plastics. Inaddition, non-ferrous separator 150 can be used to separate out thealuminum items. At least manual sorter 129, plastic sorter 430 andnon-ferrous separator 150 are optional. Furthermore, manual sorter 440,plastic sorter 430 or non-ferrous separator 150, if used, can be used inany combination.

In one embodiment, if mechanical sorter 420 crushes all or substantiallyall of the glass into pieces of a suitable size, air classifier 134,crusher 136, final screen 138, and/or ceramic detector 139 can beeliminated, as a glass stream with a higher proportion of contaminantscan be used. In the event that air classifier 134 is utilized, theplastic and aluminum items can be respectively processed by, forexample, plastics optical sorter 430 and non-ferrous separator 150, asdescribed above. In addition, manual sorter 129 can also be used tofacilitate additional separation.

System 400 is thus able to process mixed cullet for use as a recyclablematerial. Furthermore, system 400 can advantageously reducetransportation, sorting and screening costs because glass does notgenerally have to be separated by color.

FIG. 5, generally at 500, illustrates a method that may include thesequential, non-sequential, or sequence independent steps for processingmixed colored glass supplied to dual-commingled-stream MRF glassrecycling system 400. Note that the method described in FIG. 5 isexemplary, and may performed in different orders and/or sequences asdictated or permitted by system 400, and any alternative embodimentsthereof. In addition, the method described herein is not limited to thespecific use of system 400, but may be performed using any system thatis capable of obtaining the material(s) as described in connection withsystem 400.

Input 410 is placed, for example, on a conveyor that can lead to astation where contaminants are removed by manual sorter 129. At step510, the remainder of input 410 is processed by mechanical sorter 420.Mechanical sorter 420 separates mixed cullet from plastics, metals,glass greater than or equal to approximately 2.5 inches, and other largenon-glass containers. The mixed cullet can be transported from sorter420 to storage bunker 140.

At step 520, ferrous separator 148 sorts out ferrous material(s) fromthe remains of input 410. At step 540, air classifier 134 blowsdifferent currents of air through the remainder of input 410, toseparate light fraction material (e.g., plastic and aluminum containers)out of input 410. The recovered plastics and aluminum can be processedby manual sorter 129, plastic sorter 430 and/or non-ferrous separator150, as described above.

At decision step 550, if crusher 136 is used, mixed cullet is providedfrom air classifier 134 to crusher 136. If crusher 136 is not used, themixed cullet can proceed from air classifier 134 to final screening atstep 570, where final screen 138 further removes contaminants from themixed cullet. Ceramic detector and remover 139 can also be used afterfinal screening step 570 to remove ceramic from the mixed cullet. Themixed cullet can be stored in storage bunker 140, for subsequentshipment to a customer such as a beneficiator or glass plant.

Total Glass Reduction System

FIG. 6, generally at 600, illustrates a block diagram of an exemplarytotal glass reduction system 600. System 600 can include input 410, atleast one manual sorter 129, 635, and standard equipment such as ferrousseparator 148, a crushing disk system 620, a plastic sorter 430,non-ferrous separator 150, air classifier 134, crusher 136, final screen138, ceramic detector 139, and/or storage bunker 140. Numerousarrangements of the various equipment can be utilized. In addition, notall equipment described above need be utilized in all embodiments.

Input 410 enters system 600 on, for example, a conveyor belt. Manualsorter 129 can remove trash, plastic bags, flower pots, etc., andferrous separator 148 can remove ferrous materials from input 410.

Crushing disk system 620 is standard machinery that breaks glassarticles into mixed cullet, and separates the mixed cullet from plasticand aluminum articles. A disk crusher such as the Glass Breaker DiscScreen GBDS-2, by CP Manufacturing, National City, Calif., can be used.Manual sorter 635 can remove impurities from the glass received fromcrushing disk system 620.

Air classifier 134 removes any small pieces of aluminum and/or plasticthat were not removed by manual sorter 635. Crusher 136 can be used tofurther reduce the size of the glass pieces and/or make the glass piecesa more uniform size. Final screen 138 screens out contaminants, such aspaper and containers that have not been previously separated from input410. Ceramic detector 139 can also be used to remove ceramic from theglass stream. Storage bunker 140 can be used to store the processedglass until such time as the glass may be shipped to a beneficiatorand/or a glass plant.

The plastic and aluminum that exits crushing disk system 620 proceeds toplastic sorter 625, which removes plastics. Plastic sorter 440 can be anautomated process (e.g., a standard machine, such as an optical sorter)or one or more manual sorters. The stream proceeds to non-ferrousseparator 150, which removes aluminum items. Non-ferrous separator 150can be an automated process (e.g., a standard eddy-current separator) orone or more manual sorters. At this point, any remaining elements frominput stream 410 can generally be disposed of as waste.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram, as well as methods of operation, ofan exemplary automated single stream glass recycling system 700 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. System 700includes paper processing module 728, glass processing module 726,container processing module 730, controller 724, manual sorter 129, oldcorrugated cardboard (OCC) screen 130, old newspaper (ONP) screen 132,and baler 704.

Paper processing module 728 includes optical paper sorter 706, qualitycontroller 708, baler 720, and storage bunker 140. Glass processingmodule 726 includes air classifier 134, screen 712, crusher 136, finalscreen 138, ceramic detector/remover 139, optical composition recorder714, and storage bunker 740. Container processing module 730 includespolishing screen 144, glass disc screen/breaker 716, optical plasticssorter 718, quality controller 720, ferrous separator 148, non-ferrousseparator 150, quality controller 722, and baler 732. Numerousarrangements of the equipment can be utilized. In addition, not allequipment described above need to be utilized in all embodiments.

In operation, system 700 receives an input stream 702 of recyclablematerial, through a transport mechanism (not shown) such as a conveyor.Input stream 702 can include, for example, glass, plastics, metalsand/or fiber material. Manual sorter 129 can be one or more humanworkers who sort input stream 702 by handpicking out large and/orobvious contaminants.

Input stream 702 is transported, for example, by a conveyor (not shown)to OCC screen 130, which screens out OCC material from input stream 702.A conveyor (not shown) may also be used to transport OCC from OCC screen130 to baler 704 for baling. Subsequent to baling, OCC may also bestored, for example, in a bunker (not shown) the same as or similar tobunker 140.

OCC screen 130, screen 712, final screen 138, and polishing screen 134are standard screening mechanisms that are configured to mechanicallyseparate recyclables, such as OCC, into like categories, as input stream702 is processed by system 700. Screening is employed to separatematerials of different types and sizes. The screens function to separateoversized and undersized materials as a pre-processing technique forother unit operations within system 700. The types of screens that canbe used in system 700 are, for example, disc screens, V-screens, andtrommels.

Balers 704, 720 and 732 are standard, industrial balers which balerecovered material. A baler such as the Apollo TR-7/30 model,manufactured by Marathon Equipment Company, Vernon, Ala., or modelHRB-8, manufactured by Harris Waste Management Group, Inc., PeachtreeCity, Ga., may be used.

The remainder of input stream 702 falls between the discs of OCC screen130 and back onto the conveyor belt, where it travels to ONP screen 132.The ONP is transported to paper processing module 728.

The remaining non-paper material falls, for example, through one or morelower decks of ONP screen 132. Glass material is directed to glassprocessing module 726, whereas the remainder of input stream 702, whichis substantially free of glass, OCC, and ONP, is transported tocontainer processing module 730. Any remaining material not sorted outby system 700 can be disposed of at a landfill or an alternativedisposal site. ONP screen 132 can be, for example, a standard, dualscreen separator which uses an upper deck to remove ONP from input 702.An ONP screen, such as NEWScreen™, manufactured by CP ManufacturingInc., National City, Calif., may be used.

Turning now to paper processing module 728, a conveyor (not shown) canbe used to transport ONP to paper processing module 728. In oneembodiment, the conveyor may vibrate and shake out the paper so that itbecomes relatively evenly distributed prior to reaching optical papersorter 706, which is a standard optical sorter that can image thematerial stream, remove unwanted material from the stream, and/orclassify desired material into separate categories that are designatedby grade or type.

In another embodiment, multiple conveyors running at different speedsmay be used where paper material, such as ONP, travels along a firstconveyor running at a slower speed (such as 60 feet-per-minute), beforeit falls onto a conveyor running at a higher speed (such as 180feet-per-minute), thus causing the ONP material to spread out on thesecond, higher-speed conveyor before being imaged by optical papersorter 706. The sensors within optical paper sorter 706 can generallyimage the ONP more accurately if the ONP is spread out.

As the ONP material travels along the conveyor belt, optical papersorter 706 images and sorts out material, such as OCC, which was notremoved from OCC screen 1306 An OCC screen such as manufactured by CPManufacturing Inc., National City, Calif., may be used. The OCC screencan utilize, for example, serrated elliptical disks made, for example,out of ½-inch thick steel plate. Preferably, the size of the disks canbe changed, and the space between disks or rows of disks can be variedto adapt to the stream of material. The discs that rotate and impart awavelike motion that causes larger objects, such as the OCC, to moveupwards and away from the remainder of input stream 702.

Mixed paper, glossy advertisements, office paper and the like may alsobe sorted and removed. In an embodiment, the mixed paper, glossyadvertisements and office paper may be stored in a bunker (not shown)prior to baling. The bunker can be located proximate baler 704, baler720 or another baler (not shown) to suit system 700 capacity and/oroperation.

As optical paper sorter 706 sorts and separates the paper material, italso collects data from the sort that includes, for example, the volumeof paper processed, the quality of paper processed, and/or thepercentage, of ONP processed. An optical paper sorter such as thePaperSort™ System, manufactured by Magnetic Separation Systems Inc.,Nashville, Tenn., may be used. The data can be transmitted to controller724 so that controller 724 can adjust conveyor and/or paper processingmodule 728 speed(s) and/or operation to facilitate, for example, moreefficient tracking and/or processing of ONP. Controller 724 can be alogic-controlled computer software system incorporated within system 700that controls and collects data from automated optical sorters, such asoptical paper sorter 706, optical composition recorder 714 and opticalplastics sorter 718. A controller, such as a controller that is used inconjunction with the PaperSort™ system can be used. Controller 724 canalso use the collected data to facilitate the internal tracking ofsystem 700, which allows system 700 to make adjustments, for example, tothe processing rate of modules 726, 728 and/or 730. For example,controller 724 may increase and/or decrease the processing rate of paperprocessing module 728, glass processing module 726 and/or containerprocessing module 730. Data collected by controller 724 can be provided,for example, to third parties, such as beneficiators, which can use thedata, for example to facilitate blending and mixing of raw materials forbatch runs, and/or determine the composition and/or the quality of theproduct for pricing or batch run purposes. In addition, controller 724can be used for and/or in connection with obtaining data pertaining to apercent composition of respective materials (e.g., a percent of eachcolor glass and/or a percent of two or more types of plastic), and toevaluate incoming material quality (e.g., determine a percent ofcontaminants or other impurities), optionally in connection withestablishing pricing.

Quality controller 708, quality controller 720, and quality controller722 can be one or more human workers who visually and/or manuallyinspect input stream 702 to ensure that the only ONP has been removedand sorted by optical paper sorter, and that the ONP is sufficientlyfree of contaminants. Contaminants or other material that does notbelong in the ONP can be removed.

In one embodiment, ONP material can be baled by baler 720. Bales can bestored, for example, in storage bunker 140 prior to shipping the balesto customers. Storage bunker 140 and storage bunker 740 are standard,industrial storage bunkers that hold recyclable processed material, suchas glass, before it is transferred to a customer.

Returning now to OCC screen 130, glass material within input stream 702falls between the discs of OCC screen 130, onto the conveyor belt, whereit is transported to ONP screen 132. Glass material falls through one ofthe lower decks of ONP screen 132 and is transported to glass processingmodule 726, while the remaining material of input stream 702 (e.g.,plastics, metals, small pieces of paper, and/or remaining glassmaterial) falls through another deck of ONP screen 132 and is directedto container processing module 730. Other methods of separating glassand container material can also be used.

Impurities in the glass are removed by air classifier 134, which uses anair stream to separate material such as small pieces of paper, plastic,aluminum, and other residue. Screen 712 separates glass that is largerthan, for example, approximately 2.5 inches from glass smaller thanapproximately 2.5 inches. Screen 712 may be a standard singe discscreen, or two or more disc screens.

Glass larger than 2.5 inches is crushed by crusher 136 intoapproximately 0.5-2.5 inch pieces. Final screen 138 removes anyremaining contaminants, such as paper, plastic, and/or metals from glasssmaller than 2.5 inches. Ceramic detector/remover 139 identifies andremoves ceramic contaminants from the glass.

An optical composition recorder 714 may be used in various embodiments.For example, in one embodiment, optical composition recorder may beincorporated with ceramic detector/remover 139. In another embodiment,optical composition recorder 714 may be a separate optical recordingdevice or mechanism. In either embodiment, optical composition recorder714 records composition data, such as color and contaminant compositionof the sorted glass, and transmits the data to controller 724 so thatcontroller 724 can, for example, adjust glass processing module 726operation to facilitate more efficient tracking and/or processing ofglass. An optical composition recorder 714, such as manufactured byBinder and Co., Gleisdorf, Austria, may be used. The data collected byrecorder 714 can be used for and/or in connection with determining batchruns and the pricing of cullet. The processed glass can be stored instorage bunker 740, which can be a standard industrial-sized bunker orseries of bunkers, to await transfer to customers.

Turning now to container processing module 730, and as preciously noted,the remaining small pieces of paper, glass, metal and plastic materialwithin input stream 702 are directed to container processing module 730for further sorting and processing.

Polishing screen 144 carries or lifts up small pieces of paper and othermiscellaneous material over discs similar to the ONP screen 132 and OCCdisc screen 130 removal discs. The discs associated with polishingscreen 144, however, are generally smaller in size and more closelyspaced together that the discs of ONP screen 132 and OCC disc screen130.

In one embodiment, the remaining material proceeds to glass discscreen/breaker 716, which can be a two-level disk screen having metaldiscs. Disc screen/breaker 716 breaks up any remaining glass incontainer processing module 730. The glass drops on to a metal discs,and is broken by the metal discs. The broken glass then falls throughthe screens, for example, onto a separate conveyor belt, whichtransports the glass to screen 712 to be processed through the remainderof glass processing module 132. Preferably, disk spacing will beadjustable to accommodate separation of various materials from theglass.

The material output from glass disc/breaker 716 is transported tooptical plastics sorter 718. Optical plastics sorter 718 is a standardoptical sorter, which can be programmed to image the material stream,remove unwanted material from the stream, and/or classify desiredmaterial into separate categories that are designated by grade or type,such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), pigmented, and natural plasticarticles such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) articles. The sortedplastics can be placed, for example, on three different conveyors. Asoptical plastics sorter 718 sorts and separates the plastic material, itcan also collect data from the sort, which can include volume of plasticprocessed, quality of plastic processed, and percentage of PET and/orHDPE processed. This data can be used, for example, to determine theamount of green bottles and clear bottles and material size of PETbottles separated. This information, in turn, can be used in connectionwith determining pricing, and allowing, for example, industryconsultants to better understand consumer use in various geographiclocations. A plastic sorter 718 such as the Aladdin™ or BottleSort™systems, each of which provides automated identification and separationof post consumer plastic bottles and are manufactured by MagneticSeparation Systems Inc., Nashville, Tenn., may be used. An ELPAC™sorter, by Magnetic Separation Systems, Nashville, Tenn., can also beused.

Data is collected by optical plastics sorter 718 and transmitted tocontroller 724 so that controller can adjust container processing module730 operation, for example, to facilitate more efficient tracking and/orprocessing of containers. For example, the operating speed of one ormore conveyors can be increased or decreased. Data collected andtransmitted can be or relate, for example, to the volume and/or qualityof plastic processed.

The sorted out and processed plastics material may be baled by baler732, for easier transport and stored in an industrial-sized storagebunker similar to storage bunker 116 and storage bunker 716 before beingtransferred to a customer.

The remaining material in container processing module 730, primarilycomposed of non-plastic material, e.g., ferrous and non-ferrousmaterial, undergoes a quality check by quality controller 720 to ensurethat all or substantially all plastics have been removed from thenon-plastic material within container processing module 730. Anyidentified contaminant material can be removed and either placed in thecorrect bunker or conveyor belt or removed as residue. Alternatively,any identified contaminant material can remain on the conveyor fortransfer to a residue bunker or compactor at or near the end of thesystem.

Ferrous separator 148 is a standard, industrial magnetic orelectromagnetic separator that separates and removes ferrous materialfrom container processing module 730. The magnetic belt separator offerrous separator 148 moves like a conveyor belt and carries thematerials to a stripper magnet for controlled discharge. It is preferredthat a stainless steel section on existing conveyor installations beutilized for maximum magnet effectiveness. A magnetic drum ferrousseparator, such as manufactured by Eriez Magnetics, Erie, Pa., may beused.

The sorted-out and processed ferrous material may be baled by baler 732,for easier transport and stored in an industrial-sized storage bunker(not shown) similar to storage bunker 140 and storage bunker 740 beforebeing transferred to a customer.

Remaining material proceeds to non-ferrous separator 150, which may beeither a standard eddy current separator, or an optical sorter thatoptically sorts and separates out non-ferrous metal, such as aluminumcans and rings, and collects data about the sort that can be transmittedto controller 724. The sorted-out and processed non-ferrous material maybe baled by baler 732, and stored in an industrial-sized storage bunkerbefore being transferred to a customer.

It should be understood that for receiving the respective output fromoptical plastics sorter 718, ferrous separator 142 and non-ferrousseparator 144, any number of balers can be used and located, as needed,to suit system 700 capacity and/or operation. In one or moreembodiments, in addition to or in lieu of baler 732, at least a portionof the output from optical plastics sorter 718, ferrous separator 142and non-ferrous separator 144 can be transported, for example, to baler704 and/or baler 710. The remaining material of container processingmodule 730 undergoes a quality check by quality controller 722 to ensurethat all recyclable material has been removed and processed. Anyremaining material, such as glass, that remains is processed and placedinto the correct storage bunker or disposed of as residue.

1-35. (canceled)
 36. A paper processing system, comprising: an inputconveyor for conveying recyclable material comprising a paper component;a first automated sorter for sorting out cardboard material; a secondautomated sorter for sorting out newspaper material; an optical papersorter for collecting data pertaining to the paper component, theoptical paper sorter receiving an input from the second automatedsorter; and a controller that receives that data for adjusting a speedof the conveyor to facilitate system operation.
 37. The system accordingto claim 36, wherein the collected data pertains to a volume of paperprocessed.
 38. The system according to claim 36, wherein the collecteddata pertains to the quality of paper processed.
 39. The systemaccording to claim 36, further comprising a glass processing systemreceiving an input from the second automated sorter, the glassprocessing system comprising an optical composition recorder forrecording glass composition data.
 40. The system according to claim 39,wherein the controller receives the glass composition data for adjustingat least one of the processing throughput of the paper processing systemand the glass processing system.
 41. The system according to claim 36,further comprising a container processing system receiving an input fromthe second automated sorter, the container processing system comprisingan optical plastics recorder for recording plastic composition data. 42.The system according to claim 41, wherein the controller receives theplastics composition data for adjusting at least one of the processingthroughput of the paper processing system, the glass processing system,and the container processing system.
 43. A glass processing system,comprising: a conveyor for conveying recyclable material comprisingglass; an automated sorter, receiving the glass and non-glass materialfrom the conveyor, and separating the non-glass material from the glass;an optical recorder for collecting data pertaining to the glass, theoptical recorder receiving an input from the automated sorter; and acontroller that receives that data for adjusting a speed of the conveyorto facilitate system operation.
 44. The system according to claim 43,wherein the collected data pertains to a percent of at least one offlint, green and amber glass processed.
 45. The system according toclaim 43, wherein the collected data pertains to the quality of paperprocessed.
 46. The system according to claim 43, further comprising: acontainer processing system receiving plastic containers from theconveyor, the container processing system comprising an opticalcomposition recorder for recording data pertaining to at least one of apercent by volume of a type of plastic sorted and an indication of anamount of non-plastic material processed.
 47. The system according toclaim 46, wherein the type of plastic comprises at least one ofterephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE).
 48. The systemaccording to claim 46, wherein the controller receives the data andutilizes the data to adjust at least one of the processing throughput ofthe container processing system and the glass processing system.
 49. Aplastic processing system, comprising: a conveyor for conveyingrecyclable material comprising plastic; an automated sorter, receivingthe plastic and non-plastic material from the conveyor, and separatingthe non-plastic material from the plastic; an optical recorder forcollecting data pertaining to the plastic, the optical recorderreceiving an input from the automated sorter; and a controller thatreceives that data for adjusting a speed of the conveyor to facilitatesystem operation.
 50. The system according to claim 49, wherein the typeof plastic comprises at least one of terephthalate (PET) and highdensity polyethylene (HDPE). The sorted plastics can be placed, forexample, on three different conveyors.
 51. The system according to claim49, wherein the controller receives the data and utilizes the data toadjust a speed at which the conveyor is operating.